Bulletin – March 22, 2015

FAMILY OF FAITH

The pledge total as of Monday, March 16, 2015 is $ 1,038,493. Thank you!

REMEMBRANCE MEAL OF THE PASSOVER

Wednesday, April 1st at 7:00 PM in the Gabriel Room

Passover is the oldest festival of the Hebrew liturgical calendar. It has been observed by the Jewish people for more than 3,000 years. It celebrates the freeing of the Jews who were slaves during the time of Moses. It occurs in the spring, the time of renewal in “Nissan”, the first month of the Hebrew year, and it lasts for eight days. At this time, their meals celebrate this momentous historical Jewish Event.

Why do we Christians celebrate this “meal” at St. Gabriel’s? First, this celebration helps us to understand our religious roots, which are Jewish. Second, it is an opportunity for us to celebrate our growth as a community and be together with families and friends at this most special time during Holy Week. The menu is identical to the Seder supper’s menu and the meal is “pot luck” – each person brings a dish for their table.
To book your table of 6 or 8 or to have your name added to a table, please call Ed Shiller at 647-352-3123 by Wednesday, March 25th.

FIRST COMMUNION INTERVIEWS

Interviews for children who wish to receive their First Communion are now being scheduled.

Those children attending the Children’s Faith Program, private schools or others are asked to choose one of the following dates: April 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, or 24th.

Children from St. Gabriel’s School are asked to choose one of the following dates: April 23rd, 24th, 28th, 29th, 30th, May 4th, 5th, 6th, or 7th.

Please call the Parish Office at 416-221-8866 to book your appointment with Fr. Brando as soon as possible.

THE SERVICE OF TENEBRAE

Saturday, March 28th at 7:30 PM

St. Gabriel’s Church

On Saturday, March 28th at 7:30 PM the ancient service of Tenebrae will be celebrated here at St. Gabriel’s. Tenebrae evokes a sense of wonder and mystery as the Passion of Jesus is told through a series of readings, songs, and hymns. Fifteen candles are extinguished one by one, marking the progression to our Lord’s crucifixion. The last candle, the Christ Candle, is not extinguished but rather removed from view symbolizing the hope in the resurrection as all are blanketed in utter darkness.

St. Michael’s Choir School Alumni, the Seraphim Men’s Chorus will present the musical settings composed by Msgr. Ronan, founder of St. Michael’s Choir School. A goodwill offering to cover costs, support the Choir School and St. Gabriel’s Music program will be taken up. This tradition is a wonderful way to prepare ourselves to celebrate the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We hope you will attend.

RECONCILIATION SERVICE

This is an opportunity to spend some time in peace and quiet, to reflect upon how we are responding to our call to be sons and daughters of God.

Recognizing the fact that we are “good people”, we also accept the fact that good people can sin. Through an examination of conscience we face those sins, admit them and are reconciled to God.

For those who wish, individual confessions will be celebrated after the service. We encourage you to take advantage of this celebration.

WELCOME! BAPTISM

The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome Marcus Alexander Chau and Jake Zamora who received the Sacrament of Baptism on Sunday, March 15th, 2015. Congratulations!

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

Stations of the Cross will take place each Friday evening during Lent at 7:30 PM. We also encourage your attendance at our daily Mass throughout Lent.

SHARELIFE

Working wonders for children with special needs…

We have always tried to expose our deaf children to both communities. As their parents, we have talked to them and tried to answer their questions when they saw someone using sign language and they had basic sign language books. Then one day our oldest son, Ethan, said he would like to learn sign language. We discovered Silent Voice’s Sign Language Summer camp and enrolled him in the program. The following year Gavin joined his older brother and they both want to go again. We also put our name in for the Family Communication program because we wanted to support our children. These opportunities increased the boys’ awareness of the deaf community and also helped them gain respect for different ways of communication. They enjoyed both experiences as did we. We all hope to take part in the Family program again. Last year more than 600 deaf children received support through Silent Voice’s Sign Language Summer Camps.

ShareLife to Date: $59,872.25

Next ShareLife Sunday – April 12, 2015

Please give generously. You can work wonders!

FEED THE HUNGRY

Each month the food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall or the Good Shepherd Centre. With everyone struggling at this time, these donations are more important than ever. Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your ongoing support.

CASSEROLES FOR THE GOOD SHEPHERD CENTRE

Your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses next weekend for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre.

More volunteers are needed to help feed the hungry in Toronto. Please get a copy of a casserole recipe and a pan and give it a try. Three recipes are available on St. Gabriel’s web site. Printed copies of the recipes are also available in the Parish Office. Please remember to mark the label on the pan lid with the name of the casserole. For more information, you may contact Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791.

MILK BAGS

Once again we are collecting milk bags. Did you know that milk bags can be cut, looped and woven into sleep mats for individuals or families in developing countries? Schools churches and senior homes throughout the Greater Toronto Area would welcome your contributions. Please drop the colourful outer bags in the bin located in the gathering space. Please make sure that the bags are clean and dry. For further information about this program please visit www.milkbagsunlimited.ca or contact Sharon Gusz at sharongusz@gmail.com.

THEOLOGY ON TAP: Faith, Finance and Fiscal Responsibility

Monday, March 23rd, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Duke of York Pub, 39 Prince Arthur Ave, Toronto

Faith Connections invites young adults (19-39) to join them for an evening of thought-provoking conversation on theological topics. The Special guest will be Quentin Schesnuk, BA, CSC, PFP, Financial Advisor.

Munchies will be provided and there will be a cash bar available Come and bring a friend! For more information call John-Paul Markides at 416-467-2645 or visit www.faithconnections.ca — a ministry of Fontbonne Ministries, Sisters of St. Joseph, Toronto.

NORTH YORK RETIREES CLUB

Blessed Trinity Parish Hall

Tuesday, March 24th at 2:00 PM

The next meeting of the North York Retiree’s will be on Tuesday, March 24th at Blessed Trinity Church Hall. The meeting will feature guest speaker Kenneth B. Ogilvie. He will speak about “Being a Crime Novelist”. All retirees are cordially invited to attend.

NATIONAL CATHOLIC MISSION 2015

BEWARE THE HOLY SPIRIT

VISIONTV

Monday, March 30th at 6:00 PM, Repeated at 10:00 PM
Tuesday, March 31, at 6:00 PM .Repeated at 10:00 PM

The National Catholic Mission 2015, “Beware the Holy Spirit!” will be broadcast on VISIONTV on Monday, March 30th and Tuesday, March 31st at 6:00 PM and repeated at 10:00 PM.
It will be hosted by Fr. Pat Fitzpatrick and feature Spiritan Fr. Anthony Gittins. This year’s Mission looks at when and where God speaks to us in our daily lives and how we, as an institution and as individuals, can ignore that voice at our peril.

In Program Two, Fr. Anthony Gittins looks at the afternoon of life and discovers why it withers some people and brings freedom and joy to others who have learned to age with wisdom.

Founded by St. Paul of the Cross, every Passionist takes a special vow to spend his or her energies in promoting remembrance of the sufferings of Jesus, the memory of the Cross, and reflection of the meaning of the Cross for the world.